The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of Ghana’s agreement with the United States to serve as a receiving hub for deported West African nationals.
In a statement issued on September 12, 2025, the Caucus described the arrangement as “a blatant violation of the Constitution and a dangerous affront to Ghana’s sovereignty and foreign policy independence.”
The issue first entered public discourse two days ago when President John Mahama, speaking at the Presidential Media Encounter, said 14 individuals were flown in as part of the arrangement.
Most of them were Nigerians, while one was a Gambian national.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US, and then we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable, because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country. So if they decided to travel from the US to Accra, they don’t need a visa anyway. So if you are bringing our colleague West Africans back, that’s okay,” the President explained.
But Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Jinapor, says this move flies in the face of Article 75 of the Constitution, which requires such agreements to be laid before Parliament for approval.
“The purported agreement with the United States clearly falls within the scope of Article 75 of our Constitution. It is therefore shocking that the current government, knowing the unambiguous requirements of the law, will blatantly defy this constitutional provision and proceed to receive foreign nationals,” the statement read.
The Caucus also drew parallels with the 2016 case in which the admission of two Yemeni nationals into Ghana was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
“It is a matter of public record that the Supreme Court, in the case of the admission of the two Yemeni nationals, held that any such international agreement which has not been ratified by Parliament is null and void. Clearly, this government has failed to learn from precedent,” it stressed.
Beyond constitutional concerns, the Minority raised alarms about the impact on Ghana’s international reputation.
“This action compromises Ghana’s principled foreign policy stance, particularly our tradition of non-alignment, and undermines our long-standing image as a nation that respects international law,” the Caucus warned.
While acknowledging ECOWAS protocols on free movement, the Minority insisted that such protocols do not extend to forced deportations orchestrated by a non-ECOWAS state.
The Caucus therefore demanded clarity on the operational details of the arrangement, including how deportees are screened, housed, and monitored.
“Government must immediately suspend this arrangement until it has been duly laid before and ratified by Parliament. The Ghanaian people deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law,” the statement concluded.
